Thursday, July 5, 2012

TYRANNOSAUR

It is hard to feel any compassion for Joseph (Peter Mullan), an angry, bitter drunk who is quick to lash out, so much so that he accidentally kills his own pet dog in a fit of rage, in the English movie Tyrannosaur (2011). He knows he is no good, partly for mistreating his wife during her lifetime (she died years earlier from complications due to diabetes), and seems to loathe himself. Yet, there is a kernal of good and vulnerability in him: he is casual friends with an abused neighbor boy and he tries to make some amends by showing loyalty and compassion to a dying friend (who he didn't seem to like all that much when he was alive), but even these acts do not really redeem him. Directed by Paddy Considine, the movie has Mullan adeptly displaying behavior that marks him as a dinosaur, although the term in the movie refers to a mean-spirited nickname for his wife. But there is a glimmer of humanity in him, as he is approached (for religious purposes) and later befriended by an abused woman who works in a local charity shop, and they end up forging a cautious fellowship. Unlike so many men, he comes right out and admits that he is a "cunt" (his words; its ugliness is not diminished even when he is using it to describe himself). This is a tough, unhappy movie, that delves into the darker side of men, especially those who abuse children, women, and animals. Nevertheless, it is beautifully filmed and stark, and the acting of Mullan and Olivia Colman (who playes Hannah) is strong and poignant. Although a small film, it deserves a viewership.

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About Me

Son of a naval officer from New Jersey and an immigrant Ukrainian nurse from Baltimore. I have had hard-working angels, right from the start of my life. Three great siblings, all younger than me and very good people. Brought up mostly in Tampa, Florida; also lived in South Carolina, Hawaii, Maryland, and other places. Studied at the University of South Florida and University of South Carolina (Go Cocks!): mostly history and international studies. Taught college-level history (usually small schools, adjunct positions). Worked once as a juvenile corrections officer; worked over a decade in food service. Have now been in publishing for more than eighteen years. I have two beautiful, talented, smart sons whom I adore. Both are active Scouts and Halo players, one loves Minecraft. My boys come first and I do my best as a single dad. Luckily landed in a job that values literature. I enjoy what I do and people I work with and have come to know.